Renault caused quite a stir when it revealed its new “Renaulution” business plan, which also saw the debut of the rather lovely Renault 5 Prototype. Essentially a modern take on a classic, the show car is meant to preview an upcoming city car with an all-electric powertrain. However, Renault is adamant that the production version will not replace any existing models, particularly the pint-sized Clio and Zoe.
“Now is the time to challenge what exists at this point. This isn’t meant to replace the Clio as such, but there are questions about the Clio and the Captur: what they stand for, what energy source they should use depending on the regulations of each country – and this is changing every month,” explained Gilles Vidal, design director at Renault, to Autocar UK.
“You need to be able to adapt to whatever happens with your global product strategy and energy solutions. We don’t know for sure if this will replace anything, but if you look at the B-segment, there will be maybe too many at some point, so some will disappear. I can’t say which at this point,” he added.
This sentiment was also conferred by Laurens van den Acker, executive vice-president of Groupe Renault, who reconfirmed the Zoe’s status. “Is it the end of the Zoe? The answer is no, because the Zoe is the best-selling EV in Europe. So, it would be silly to stop vehicles that are best-selling in their segment,” he said.
Renault has yet to provide technical details of the production R5, but van den Acker says the company’s mission with the model “is to make the popular electric car of the future, and it really needs to be a popular car.” The Zoe entered its second generation back in 2019, so a renewal isn’t due anytime soon, while the latest, fifth-gen Clio also arrived in the same year.
GALLLERY: Renault 5 Prototype
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Nice car, can compete with Corolla Cross.